My Favorite Spring Tablescape

Today I am revisiting one of my favorite posts…my sunny spring tablescape. And I am betting you will recognize some of the photos because they have become my signature…

…my blue and white plates topped with green pears! They were taken in March, 2009…when I had only been blogging for about 4 months. The afternoon sun was pouring in through the Palladian window, creating interesting shadows.

If you were blogging then, I am sure you will recognize the bunny on a stick! lol They were all the rage! I don’t think Pier One could keep them in stock. And…do you know that they still have them? Yep. I saw them again just the other day!

At the center, one of my favorites…my pumpkin-shaped tureen. I love those funny legs and the handles! And…peeking in from the left…those infamous Target birdie salt and pepper shakers that even got their own linky party! (One of my favorite posts ever!)

But my favorite photos were…and still are…of my wonderful pierced blue and white plates topped by spring green pears! You will recognize them from my header.

Each one is different. I later found candlesticks to match this one.

I think this one is the prettiest because, unlike the others, the center is not white, but patterned.

However, this photograph is my all-time favorite. I love the effect of the shadows…creating a lacy pattern on the white plate underneath. Yes…this one is me…my avatar, the little photo image that represents me!

And finally…here’s a look at the whole tablescape, with the afternoon sun pouring in across the table, bringing back memories of an earlier spring day. Ahhh! Come on, Spring! We are waiting!
For more details, you can visit the original post here.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my spring tablescape! Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Beth at The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Anita at Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up on Tuesdays
Kristin at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday’s Treasures
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design for Swing into Spring and the Bunny Blog Hop
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday
Debbie at reFresh reStyle for the Spring Tablescape Party
Jaime Lyn at Crafty, Scrappy, Happy for Crafty, Scrappy, Happy Me on Thursdays
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays and Spring Linky Party
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Shirley at Hospitality Designs for the Spring Tablescape Party
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Honey at 2805 for Potpourri Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
See you next time! A la prochaine!

Tutorial: Ruffled Faux Grain Sack Table Runner

I’m interrupting my Paris in Seven Days series to show you a little project I have been working on. It’s my new table runner…made from toweling that does a good job of imitating vintage grain sacks! It seems that while I was in France, the fabric caught on in blogland and has been popping up everywhere. I had an email from my friend Linda at Nina’s Nest telling me all about it upon my return!

I was really excited to find out that you can order toweling since my beloved ruffled burlap table runner (tutorial here) was looking a little heavy for the summer months. We can thank Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the inspiration. After a little searching I found a source!

The color I chose…no surprise here…was blue and natural. All you have to do is look around on my blog to see that I love that color combination! And, since it comes 16 inches wide with the sides already hemmed, it just naturally lends itself to being made into a table runner. And at only $7.98 a yard, you can have a nice custom runner for around $28 plus shipping.

The first step, of course, is to measure your table. Here, Baby Kitty demonstrates an alternate method for measuring. It appears that mine is about four cats long...or 68 inches, for those of you without cats. Once you have measured your table top, add 14 inches to allow for a 6 inch drop on each end plus a seam allowance. Then add an additional 32 inches to allow for the ruffle. My measurements were 68 inches + 14 inches + 32 inches for 114 inches or a little over 3 yards. I ordered 3 1/2 yards at $7.98 per yard, since it may only be ordered in 1/2 yard increments.

1. First, cut the fabric into two pieces…one piece measuring the length of your tabletop plus the additional 14 inches and a second piece which is 32 inches long. (You may have a little bit left over.) The 32 inch piece will be your ruffles. 2. Cut the 32 inch piece in half lengthwise. 3. Hem the short ends of the 32 inch pieces by folding under twice and top-stitching. 4. Run a long stitch through the long side with the raw edges and gather. 5. Adjust the gathers to the short end of your runner, right sides together and sew. I finished the seam with a zig-zag stitch, since the fabric tends to ravel. 6. (Not pictured) Press the seam toward the runner and top stitch from the right side. 

And…voilà! It was really easy and quick. Now I have a nice summery table runner to go with all of my blue and white!

Here, I set the table with my vintage Quimper ware and some mismatched vintage silverplate…love it! I have a feeling you will be seeing more of this one!
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my project!  Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Rhoda at Southern Hospitality for Today's Thrifty Treasures on Mondays
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design for Sizzle into Summer
Kara at Elements Interiors for Whassup Wednesday
Gina at The Shabby Chic Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Leigh at Tales from Bloggeritaville for Thrifty Thursday
Jill at French Cupboard for Voilà! French Inspiration on Thursdays
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Fridays
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
See you next time! A la prochaine!

A Triple Post...or...The Target Birdies Go Hollywood!

My Target birdies Pierre and Marie have had a very busy time during my bloggy break...so busy that they decided to participate in a triple post this week! So you will be seeing them first in Barb's What's on Your Wall Wednesday at Grits and Glamour. Be sure to stop by her blog to see who's playing this week and to see what she's up to!


Their daytime job involves posing as realistically as possible in front of my Spode Blue Room plate on the wall! What do you think? Have they earned their pay?
As a sideline this year, they have qualified for Wordless Wednesday over at Dixie's in French Lique, Texas by agreeing to take care of my...
 

 ...taxes!! The birdies did such a great job that they even got me a refund! Maybe it's because they don't speak English and that helped them to understand the foreign language in those tax forms! Merci, Pierre et Marie!
Be sure to head on over to French Lique to see if everyone else has managed to meet the April 15th deadline!!
 

 Soooo...since everything seemed to be under control, I decided to take a break and left them in the capable hands...er...paws of Isabella. Big mistake!! Hey...wait a minute!! They're escaping! Isabella...stop them! Ohhh noooo!!! Too late! They must have heard about the Target Birds on Holiday instigated by Susan's birdies over at Between Naps on the Porch!


They have flown the coop and headed to HOLLYWOOD!! Yes, that's right...Pierre and Marie have gone Hollywood! Tired of receiving minimum wage from corporate, they have taken a cue from Baby Kitty and gone on strike! I have heard through the grapevine that they have even joined the Screen Actors Guild and have already been offered starring roles in a few movies and television series such as....
 

 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Doves...


 Sponge Bobolink: the Movie...


 Parrots of the Caribbean...


 American Ibis...


 Jurassic Partridge...


and even my favorite...Starling Wars!!!
Now that they've had a taste of Hollywood glamour, they may never come back! And they are scheduled for a tablescape on Thursday!! My only hope is that corporate will be able to negotiate a deal with them! In the meantime, I'm going to head on over to Susan's to see if I can find a trace of them in the other birdie holiday posts!! Please let me know if you see them!! Thanks!

A Bunny on a Stick Party... and...Wordless Wednesday

Tonight I am doing a twofer...Barb's Bunny on a Stick Show 'n Tell and Dixie's Wordless Wednesday!

First, I am showing you my tricks with the ever popular Pier 1 bunny on a stick. Be sure to swing by Grits and Glamour to see what the bunnies are doing and to take a peek at Barb's wonderful blog! Now, if you follow my blog, you may be wondering what else is left to do because...

I showed you how I made my bunny...

...and I featured it in my Spring tablescape...

....and also on my Spring mantel! So I was thinking...what else can I do with the bunnies...?? Then, it dawned on me...

I can make bunny on a stick cookies!! So, I stopped by Walmart to pick up the ingredients and to hunt a leaping bunny cookie cutter! Success!

Soooo... I let the cookie dough soften a little and then rolled it out. I suppose I could have made homemade cookie dough...but, I like this kind...even better than the Pillsbury brand. Ohh...I see a few little extra edges looking too tiny to bother to roll out again. Better eat those. Mmmm...I love cookie dough!

Next, I sprinkled the cookies with green sugar and followed the directions on the package to bake them. Hey...these are looking pretty cute, huh? So far, so good!

When they were done, I quickly put a pretzel stick in the soft cookies to be the "stick." Wow! I am surprised...this part actually worked, but I had to work fast!

And here they are...my bunny on a stick cookies for our show 'n tell party! Would you like one?

Soooo....what do you think? OK...so maybe they do look more like trees! lol Did you have a bite yet? Hey, these aren't bad!...snarf, snarf, snarf!!

Be sure to stop by Barb's to join the party and see what the bunnies are doing!

Welcome to another Wordless Wednesday with our hostess with the mostest, Miss Dixie from way down there in French Lique, Texas! Be sure to visit her wonderful blog to see what she's up to this week and to get a list of who's playing! And while you are at it, find out how to join in the fun!
Today is April first, and in honor of the occasion, a mysterious tall, dark and handsome stranger is taking me out for dinner.....

April Fool!!!

Baby Kitty thought that was a good one!

Be sure to stop by Dixie's to see some more April Fool jokes and enjoy a little laugh!